The Proof in the Pretense
by DaLiza
Summary: Booth and Brennan pretend to be engaged for the sake of Booth's ailing grandfather. Pops is skeptical and wants proof that the partners have finally crossed the line. Fluffy, funny one shot. Epilogue added due to popular demand.
1. Chapter 1

Sitting beside her partner in his SUV, Temperance Brennan looked down at the engagement ring he had given her earlier that day. "Did you know that the tradition of wearing a wedding ring on the ring finger of the left hand dates back to the Greeks, who believed that finger contained a direct vein to the heart?"

"I do now," Booth said with a smile. "Pops was right; you should go on game shows_._ That super squinty brain of yours would make you a fortune…well, _another_ fortune."

"But I don't need another fortune," Brennan argued. "I have more than enough to cover my expenses, and I'm quite content with my current standard of living."

"Keep rubbing it in, Bones." He sighed in mock annoyance. "Do you think we should get a pre-nup?"

Lines wrinkled her brow. "Why would we need a pre-nuptial agreement?"

"So you can rest assured that I'm marrying you for your beauty and brains, not your billions."

"I don't have bil--" A look of panic crossed her face. "Booth, I didn't _actually_ agree to marry you. I agreed to _pretend_ to marry you because you said it would cheer up your grand--" Seeing her partner's amused expression, she abandoned her sentence and laughed. "You were joking."

Booth laughed along with her. "Seriously, though, I really appreciate you doing this. I owe you big."

Brennan shook her head. "You don't owe me anything. You've helped my family in the past--you let Russ see his step-daughters before arresting him, you arranged testimony for his parole hearing, you helped my father have his Christmas celebration in jail. I'm glad that now I have the opportunity to do something nice for your family." They rode in silence for a few moments until Brennan laughed again.

"What's so funny, Bones?"

"I was just remembering the first time we went undercover as a couple."

"Tony and Roxy." Booth grinned as his mind flashed back to the moment Brennan walked out of the hotel bathroom wearing the black dress he had chosen for her. It had been hard to keep his hands off of her. Thankfully, constant touching wasn't a problem for Tony and Roxy. "They were a lot of fun."

"So were Buck and Wanda Moosejaw," Brennan added, recalling their circus aliases.

"Yeah." Booth's body warmed as he remembered sharing a bed with her in their tiny trailer. Sleeping Brennan had been a fan of snuggling. A _big_ fan. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "At least this time I won't be throwing knives at you," he joked.

"I enjoyed the knife throwing." The memory of Booth's impressive physical prowess made her heartbeat accelerate. "It was very stimulating."

Booth suppressed a groan as they drove up to Pops' retirement community. Did she know what she did to him when she said stuff like that?

* * *

Booth and Brennan found Hank Booth sitting in his bed watching a basketball game. "You call that a shot?" Hank asked the television. "Even I could have made that one."

"Hey, Pops!"

Hank turned at the sound of Booth's voice. "Shrimp! And Dr. Brennan! It's good to see you again, sweetheart."

"It's good to see you too, Hank."

Both partners gave him a hug, then settled themselves in chairs beside the bed. "How are you feeling, Pops?" Booth asked.

Hank shrugged. "The same. The doctors say I don't have much time left, but they've been wrong before. They're wrong a lot, you know. All those years in school and they still don't know what they're doing half the time. But enough about that. How's your work going?"

"Good," Booth answered. "Bones and I caught a serial killer last week."

"He'd killed at least four women," Brennan added. "He had a future victim--a woman who's three months pregnant--chained up in his basement when Booth found him. Booth saved her life and the life of her unborn child." She looked at her partner with pride. "She said she'd name the baby after Booth. If it's a boy, of course."

Booth gazed at her with equal admiration. "I told her she should use your name if it's a girl. I couldn't have saved her without you, Bones."

"Congratulations to you both," Hank said. "Hold on a minute. Are you talking about Rose Douglas?" The partners nodded. "I heard about her on the news! I'm going to tell everyone here that my grandson and his partner caught the sick bastard who kidnapped her and killed those other women." He smirked. "The ladies will be all over me."

"Maybe you should take it easy, Pops."

"I can't help it if the Booth men are irresistible to women. Speaking of the Booth men, how's my great grand-son?"

"Parker's great. He's doing really well in school--all As and Bs on his last report card, thanks to Bones." He put an arm around her shoulders.

"I can't take credit for all of his grades," Brennan said. "I only helped him with science."

"Bones and her dad have taught him a bunch of squinty experiments. He loves school because of them…and because one of his classmates is now his 'girlfriend'."

Brennan turned surprised eyes to Booth. "Parker has a girlfriend?"

"Yup. His first one."

"Did you run a background check on her?"

"No, I didn't run a background check on her! She's only eight years--" Booth stopped himself when he saw the mirth in his partner's eyes. "You were joking." They laughed together.

"When are _you_ going to get a girlfriend, shrimp?" Hank asked. "You aren't getting any younger, you know."

Booth smiled as he took Brennan's hand in his. Time to tell Pops their big news. "Actually, I already have a girlfriend, Pops. And now she's my fiancée."

Hank's eyes lit up when he saw Brennan's engagement ring. "So you finally took my advice. Way to go, shrimp!" Hank turned to Brennan. "I assume my grandson gave you a proper proposal."

Brennan frowned. "I don't know what that means."

"Did he take you someplace romantic, or make you a nice meal at home?" Hank asked. "Did he get down on one knee and ask for your hand in marriage? Or did he just blurt it out while you were waiting for the results of a pregnancy test?"

"Pops!" Booth put a hand to his forehead. He never should have told his grandfather about his failed proposal to Rebecca.

Brennan gave Booth's other hand a sympathetic squeeze. "I'm not pregnant, and it was definitely a proper proposal." She decided to improvise a suitably romantic scenario and was pleasantly surprised at how easily the words came to her. "We were sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in the moonlight, gazing at the stars. I was telling Booth about the different constellations and we saw a shooting star. Booth said we should make a wish. When I asked him what he wished for, he got down on one knee and said that he had wished that I would marry him. He told me that he loved me--really loved me, not just in a professional, atta-girl kind of way--and he promised that he'd never leave me like the other men in my life. Then he reminded me that there was more than one kind of family in this world, and said that he wanted to start one with me."

Booth hoped his face didn't betray his shock at Brennan's unusually sentimental words. Had she read his mind? Did she know that everything she'd said about his feelings for her was true? Or was it all just part of the act? "Yeah," he said shakily. "That's exactly how it happened."

The surprised look on his grandson's face aroused Hank's suspicion. "Are you two just pretending to be together to make a dying man happy?"

"Of course not," Brennan protested, panic creeping into her voice. "Booth and I are very much a couple. We have sexual intercourse quite frequently. In fact, our last sexual encounter was right before we drove here."

Hank turned to Booth. "Is that true?"

Booth wished it were. He didn't want to think about how long it had really been since his last 'sexual encounter'. "I'd rather not discuss our sex life."

"You don't have to be modest, Booth," Brennan said comfortingly. "I know it's common for men to bond over talk of sexual conquests. He's an extremely skilled lover, Hank. You should be proud of him."

"I am. I know Seeley's a good man…but I can tell when he's hiding something." Hank's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see some proof that you two are actually a couple."

"I don't think Booth would be comfortable with us having sex in front of you," Brennan said.

"Bones!"

Hank laughed as Booth's face turned red. "I wouldn't be comfortable with that either. I'll settle for watching you kiss."

Brennan's mind flashed back to Caroline's Christmas blackmail. "How many steamboats?"

"Steamboats?" Both Booths said.

Brennan decided to rephrase the question. "How long should the kiss be?"

"What, I'm supposed to time you with a stopwatch? Make it as long as you want it to be." Hank looked expectantly at Booth. "What are you waiting for? I never missed an opportunity to kiss a woman _I _loved. And you do love her, don't you, shrimp?"

"Yes," Booth answered. He wondered if Bones realized that his answer wasn't part of the act.

"Good." Hank tilted his head towards Brennan. "Then prove you've finally crossed that stupid line."

Booth took a deep breath. And another. And another. He looked into Brennan's eyes, silently asking for her permission. The unspoken answer was clear: permission granted. She _wanted_ him to kiss her. She wanted it, and he wanted it, so why waste another second pretending otherwise? It was time to put his fears aside and man up. Putting his grandfather's presence out of his mind, Booth gently placed his hands on Brennan's face and gave her a long, tender kiss. Her enthusiastic response exceeded even his most optimistic fantasies. It was perfect. _She _was perfect. Pure joy flowed through his veins and he savored every second of it. He hadn't been this happy since his coma dream… but this was even better than his dream because it was _real. _Goodbye, line. Goodbye and good riddance. Hello new relationship with Bones!

"Wow," Hank said when the partners eventually stopped to breathe. "That was pretty convincing."

Booth and Brennan grinned at each other, both thinking that Hank wasn't the only one who'd been convinced.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So many of you asked for more, and I crumbled under the peer pressure yet again. How very un-after school special of me.**

**I dedicate this epilogue to **_**It's Time For Eventually**_**, who requested an engaged/married chapter, and **_**mumrulz**_**, who says you can never have too much fluff. This epilogue may test that theory. **

* * *

Booth couldn't wait to show the card to his wife.

His _wife_.

The word was still new on his lips and felt wonderful every time he said it. A year ago, he would have never believed that his amazing partner would become his amazing wife…at least not in the waking world. But six months ago, Pops had asked them to kiss to prove that they weren't pretending to be together to make him happy. The coerced kiss could have been a replica of their mistletoe lip lock a few years before, with both of them denying how deeply it had affected them. _It was like kissing my brother, _Brennan had said. Luckily their kiss in front of Pops had had a different outcome. After that mind-blowing, line-shattering kiss, they couldn't pretend that they were still 'just partners'. They had gone on their first real date two days later.

A few months later, Booth had proposed to her on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, giving her the romantic proposal she'd described to Pops, and, miracle of miracles, she'd said yes. They had gotten married two weeks ago. Angela had been her maid of honor, Jared his best man. Squints and squinterns had filled her side of the church, along with her father, brother, his wife and daughters, and her cousin Margaret. His side had been mostly occupied by FBI agents and a puckish prosecutor. Only two of his guests weren't currently involved in law enforcement: Parker and Hank Booth.

Pops' doctors doubted he would live to see the wedding, but he had been determined to prove them wrong. He had been diligent in taking his pills and taking better care of himself, and his hard work had paid off. He was not only well enough to attend his grandson's wedding, he was well enough to take a turn or two with the bride on the dance floor.

Pops had also delivered the best toast of the evening. "Seeley and Temperance, I couldn't be happier for you both. The first time I saw you together, I could see that you had something special. I'm sure everyone who meets you two sees it. Am I right?" There had been applause and whistling and several shouts of 'YES'. "I bet everyone here predicted that you'd walk down the aisle someday. Frankly, I'm surprised it took you this long to do it." Laughter. Lots of laughter. "But now that you have, I know you'll love each other and take care of each other the way a husband and wife should. I know that you'll always remember how lucky you are to have each other, and how precious life is, so that you won't take one minute for granted. Right?" The bride and groom had nodded. "Good. Now let's eat!"

Laughing at the memory, Booth took the card from his desk, left the Hoover building, and drove to the Jeffersonian, heading straight for his wife's office. He found her sitting behind her computer. "Hey, honey." He kissed her cheek. He would have preferred to kiss her lips, but had promised her they'd keep things professional at work.

"Hey." Brennan smiled at him, but the smile seemed forced.

Booth's relationship radar immediately sounded an alarm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing important," she said with a shrug.

He sat on her desk. "Tell me anyway."

She hesitated a moment before she answered. "Since we've been married, you've been calling me honey, honey bun, cupcake, and other nicknames having to do with food which I assume are traditional for spouses. These new names seem to make you happy, but I miss hearing you call me 'Bones'."

Booth chuckled to himself. When he'd first given her the nickname, she'd hated it. How many times had he heard her say _Don't call me Bones_? Now she actually missed it. "Alright. Let me try this again." He walked out of her office, turned around, and walked right back in. "Hey, Bones." He flashed her a charm smile and kissed her cheek again. "Better?"

This time her smile was genuine. "Yes. Thank you. Do we have a new case?"

"Nope. No yucky bones for my lovely Bones. But I do have something to show you." He took the card out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Look what came in my office mail today."

Brennan took the card from him. The front cover was white with "Thank You" written in gold cursive letters. Tears blurred her vision as she read the message inside:

_Dear Agent Booth,_

_My name is Rose Douglas. We met six months ago._

_I had been kidnapped and chained up in a basement. I didn't know who my kidnapper was, or why he was hurting me, or how long the torture would go on. I was certain of only two things: I was going to die, and the baby growing inside me would never be born. _

_But then you came and brought me out of the darkness._

_Yesterday I gave birth to my son, Seeley Joseph. When he's old enough, I'll tell him about the noble FBI agent who shares his name. I can never thank you enough for giving us our lives back. _

_You said that you couldn't have saved us without your partner, Dr. Brennan, so please pass along my thanks to her. God bless you both for the wonderful work you do._

_Sincerely,_

_Rose Douglas_

Inside the card was a birth announcement with a picture of a sleeping infant dressed in a sky blue onesie. The baby had brown hair and his fingers were curled in tiny fists. Above the picture were the words: "Proudly introducing Seeley Joseph Douglas". Beside the picture was baby Seeley's birth date, time of birth, birth weight and length. The bottom of the birth announcement read "With love, Sam and Rose". Brennan smiled as her eyes returned to the picture. "He looks a little like you."

Booth looked at the picture again over her shoulder. "You think so?"

"He has strong symmetrical features like you do, and his hair is a similar color."

Booth turned to face her. "You ever wonder what our kids would look like?"

"Yes. When I asked you to help me have a child." She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry I asked you for your sperm. In retrospect, I realize it was a very selfish request."

"Don't worry about it, Bones." He extended a hand to stroke her cheek. "I did want to have a baby with you. I still do. Hopefully someday we'll have one the old-fashioned way."

"We will." Brennan grinned. She had been planning to tell him tonight, but now seemed an appropriate time. "In about seven and a half months."

He flashed her one of the biggest smiles she'd ever seen. "Really?"

"Really." She laughed at his enthusiasm.

Booth lifted her out of her chair and spun her around, then put her back on her feet and kissed her as if they were the only people in the building. Or the world. "Sorry," he gasped, pulling back several seconds later. "I forgot your 'no public displays of affection at work' rule."

Brennan grabbed his jacket lapels to pull him back to her. "I think we can make an exception today."

* * *

Seven months later, Brennan was piecing together a shattered skull in an autopsy room when her water broke. She called a janitor to clean the floor, went to her office to grab a spare outfit, and changed in the bathroom. Then she returned to the autopsy room and called Booth.

Booth was sitting at his desk in the Hoover building, filling out paperwork on their last case. "How's my beautiful Bones?" He said when he answered the phone.

Brennan smiled. She didn't think she was attractive in her current state, but Booth continually called her beautiful. "I'm making good progress on our victim's skull. It's too early to draw conclusions, but I think I may have found cause of death. Angela should be able to do a facial reconstruction soon."

"Glad to hear it."

"And the baby's amniotic sac just ruptured." She delivered this news with the same calm tone she'd used to describe the skull.

"Whoa!" Booth shot to his feet. "You mean that your water broke?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me that _first_?" He grabbed his jacket and car keys. "Hang on, Bones. I'm coming over there right now."

Brennan started to tell him that that wasn't necessary, but he had already hung up.

Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian in record time, breaking several traffic laws in the process, yet Brennan wouldn't let him take her to the hospital until she'd finished with the skull and handed it off to Angela.

Eighteen hours after arriving at the hospital, they held their baby boy for the first time.

"I've only just met him, but I love him," Brennan said as she looked at their sleeping son and stroked his soft brown hair. "That's very unusual for me."

Booth laughed and kissed her forehead. "It's very usual for a mom, Bones. You're going to be a great one." The proud parents were enjoying another kiss when Hank Booth entered the room.

"Working on making the next kid already?" Pops teased as he settled himself in a chair beside the bed.

"Not yet," Brennan answered seriously. "Women are advised not to have sex for at least four to six weeks after childbirth to allow the vagina--"

"Bones!"

Brennan laughed at the look of horror on her husband's face. "Hank, would you like to hold your great grandson?"

"Of course I would!" He rubbed the hospital's hand sanitizer on his hands and then took the infant into his arms. "Look at you. Handsome face. Great hair. You're definitely a Booth. You look just like Seeley did when he was a baby." He lifted his eyes to meet Booth and Brennan's. "Does he have a name yet?"

Husband and wife smiled at each other. "William," Booth answered. "William Hank Booth."

* * *

**Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated.**


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